


lifeline

by wormmwood



Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, bass doesn't know how to do anything, blues is sad, everyone learns to be friends, is this a sick fic?, oHG ITS ANGST, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-02 10:18:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16303283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wormmwood/pseuds/wormmwood
Summary: At first he thought he was just late. It wouldn’t be the first time Blues had lost track of time.But this time almost three hours had passed, and he hadn’t shown up. Bass wouldn’t admit it, but he was actually worried about the Light bot. He sighed to himself as he grabbed his jacket and headed out.





	1. Chapter 1

Bass had gotten used to him and Blues hanging out. 

It had initially started as one stumbling across the other, and the two would continue to hang out for the rest of the day. One day Bass invited the other robot over, and the two hung out in his room, unbeknownst to the other robots in the facility. Eventually it became a weekly thing for them, on top of Blues visits to his siblings. However, something was wrong tonight. Blues hadn’t shown up.

At first he thought he was just late. It wouldn’t be the first time Blues had lost track of time. He would show up either perfectly on time, or an hour late. But this time almost three hours had passed, and he hadn’t shown up. Bass wouldn’t admit it, but he was actually worried about the Light bot. He sighed to himself as he grabbed his jacket and headed out.

The night air was cold against his artificial skin. It never usually bothered him, after all the jacket was just so he could look cool. But as December approached, the cold could actually do some damage if a robot wasn’t careful. Bass decided the best place to check would be the bridge he often found Blues under. It was pretty dirty, but Blues had managed to find some blankets, and even some frames for pictures he drew or took, so it didn’t feel as much like he was living in garbage. When Bass asked him how he could stand living there, he shrugged and replied, “It’s mine.”

Bass shivered as he approached the bridge. In the dark he could make out the silhouette of a figure. As he got closer he could definitely tell it was Blues, but something was...off about him. He was hunched over, and had his hands over his chest, which was giving off a faint glow. Not normal. He ran over to the other robot.

“What the hell are you doing out here?”

Blues turned his head. Bass could see that he had forgone his sunglasses. 

“W-what are you doing here,” he struggled to speak. 

“You never showed up,” he shrugged. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t die.”

Blues tensed up, clenching his fingers around the glowing part of his chest. Bass took another step towards him.  
“N-no! D-don’t come closer,” Blues yelled. “It’s t-too dangerous.”

Blues looked the opposite of dangerous. 

“What, you? No way are you or anyone else a danger to me,” he laughed nervously. Blues never acted like this. He may get nervous from time to time, but he was always cool and collected. Something was really wrong. He sat down next to the Light bot. Bass was able to get a good look at him. The night was cold but Blues looked flushed. His scarf was loose around his neck, and his eyes were unfocused. The glowing part of him seemed to pulse a little bit. Like a heartbeat. 

“You should leave.”  
He said it so quietly. 

“Are you kidding me? You look like shit. No way am I leaving you like this.”

Blues tried to move away from him, but it seemed to be too much effort. He gave up and leaned his head back against the brick wall. His breath was quick and shallow. He gave a small, hollow laugh.   
“I’m a literal ticking time bomb dude...stay away from me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about.” Bass was starting to freak out now. 

“I...my core. It’s unstable…If it explodes I take everyone around me with me…” He had a far away look in his eyes. The way he talked about dying was...too accepting. Bass sighed.

“Listen man.., I know I’m kind of a shitty friend-“ 

Blues gave him a look.

“But I’m not going anywhere.”

Blues made a sound that resembled a chuckle. He leaned his head back again. He inhaled sharply as his core glowed a little brighter. He looked like he could pass out at any second if he wasn’t in so much pain. Bass placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t very good at comforting people, but he figured he might as well try. 

“You know if anyone shouldn’t be staying here, it’s you, shithead.”

“What.”  
“I’m taking you back to the fortress.”

“N-no you shouldn’t. Wily-“

“That dumb ass? Doesn’t need to know,” he said smugly. Blues didn’t protest much as Bass put in the coordinates to teleport back to his room. He held onto the smaller Light bot and suddenly they were back at his place. Blues made a surprised noise. Bass picked him up and placed him in his bed. 

“Wh-“  
“Power down, dumbass. You still look like shit.”

“Heh. Alright then…” His core didn’t look much better. In fact he looked worse. Now that Bass could actually see him, he was a mess. He was pale, but his cheeks were bright red. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was definitely overheating. He seemed to power down pretty quickly, but he didn’t look very peaceful. He had already curled up into a fetal position. 

Bass sighed and sat on the floor by his bed. 

How was he gonna fix this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse

Blues hadn’t improved at all. The smaller robot was curled up, clinging to the sheets. His core pulsed as he continued to shiver. Blues was barely aware of whatever was happening. He drifted in and out of consciousness, and when he was awake, he could barely hold on long enough before drifting back. His core seemed to thrum dangerously in his chest. 

Bass leaned against the wall and listened to Blues breathing. 

It was quick and shallow.   
In and out.

He rubbed his eyes. He didn't know much about giving medical assistance. Sure, he could do simple repairs. But Blues was...different. Bass hadn’t even known about his core. No wonder he was always so careful. When they first met, he wouldn't go anywhere without his shield. Bass always thought it was just like his helmet, something he liked to have around. But now…

Blues’ breathing hitched. Bass sat up and looked to where the Light bot was lying. He was trying to sit up. He hissed as his hand moved to his core. The light was just as bright, pulsing in his chest. It looked painful. 

“Hey,” he spoke weakly. His eyes were more focused now, but he looked exhausted.   
He was propped up on his elbow, his other hand over his core. Bass rolled his eyes. 

“What, you’re gonna have a fucking episode like that and all you’ve got to say is,”hey”?”  
His statement made Blues laugh, which turned into a short cough. He quickly recovered and turned back to Bass. 

“Guess so.”   
Despite the fact he looked like death, he was still a fucking smart ass. Bass watched as Blues’ hand absentmindedly moved from his core to his scarf. He ran his fingers around the fabric in a repeated motion. Something he only did when he was nervous. 

“How do you feel?” Bass asked, despite knowing the answer.   
“Fine-“  
“No you don’t.”  
Blues laughed a little more nervously.   
“I um...it’s never been this bad before.”   
Bass’ worry tripled.   
“And what does that mean?”  
Blues didn’t look up. He continued fiddling with his scarf. His shoulders were tense.  
“I mean- Whenever I overheat, it never lasts this long. And it doesn’t really...it doesn’t hurt so bad…”  
Bass’ core leaped in his chest. This was already bad, and apparently it was worse than it seemed. Fuck, this was bad. Bass was panicking to himself, and it seemed he was doing a bad job at hiding it. Blues quickly realized what he’d said.

“B-but it’s not too bad! I mean, I can handle it-“

As soon as he had spoken, his core pulsed brightly. His hand gripped the compartment over his core, as if he wished he could just pull it out. He hissed as he collapsed back onto the bed. Bass rushed over to him

“You can fucking handle it, huh,” he said bitterly. His hand wavered over the smaller robot. In any other situation he would have been able to help, but this was beyond almost everything he knew about. 

Blues coughed. “Heh, uh, maybe not.” His voice was strained.

“Shut up,” Bass hissed. “Just- try not to talk, ok?”

Blues nodded slowly. He really didn’t look good. He has paled considerably, and his breathing had become uneven. Bass carefully put his hand over Blues’ forehead before jerking it back. Bass was surprised the other robot wasn’t on fire.  
“Shit,” he muttered.  
“That bad, huh?” he said tiredly.  
“I thought I told you to shut up.”  
“Since when have I ever listened to you?”  
“Well fuck face, now would be a good time to start.”  
“Would you spare a dying boy’s feelings and lighten up on the insults?”  
“You gotta stop dying first.”

Bass looked around his room frantically. He had to have something to help his stupid friend. What did humans do when they had fevers? They would use a damp washcloth right? Bass frantically searched in a pile of discarded junk before pulling out a scrap of cloth and an old water bottle. It’d have to do. 

Bass returned to Blues’ side and placed the cloth on his forehead. He gave a small sigh of relief, but didn’t say anything. Bass sighed. He couldn’t actually do anything about Blues core, but at least he could try to help him feel better. At least he hoped he could. 

Blues’ core didn’t seem to let up this time. He looked awful. He was so pale save for the bright red plastering his cheeks. He’d curled up again, and despite the heat he was giving off, he was shivering. Bass was worried he would power down and not wake up this time. 

“I’m sorry..,” he whispered. Bass was taken aback.   
“For what, you idiot?”  
He laughed softly. It was a hollow sound.   
“Don’t you remember? That fight you had with my brother. It wasn’t too long ago…”  
“You...you took that hit. You said it wasn’t too bad but- You idiot we all knew you were lying.”  
“Yeah well...it was worse than I thought…”  
Bass stared at him dumbfounded.   
“Have you…been like this for a while?”

Blues didn’t look at him. His face was buried in his scarf. He seemed to be getting out of it again. He let out a hiss as he curled up tighter. He didn’t even bother trying to hide the glow coming from his chest. His breathing remained shallow and uneven. 

“Blues…”  
“...I didn't want you to worry…”  
“Blues you idiot...like it or not you’ve got people who care about you. And they’re entitled to worrying about your stupid ass.”  
“And what about you?” That threw Bass off a bit.   
“You really think that after all this time we’re not friends? Your dweeb brother sure would say so.” There was only a hum in response. Blues has slipped back into unconsciousness. Shit. Bass was really in over his head. He had to think of a way to help his stupid idiot friend before he-

No we wasn’t even going to go there. He tried looking for a first aid kit, an ice pack, anything really. He tossed around all the junk in his room, hopelessly looking for something to help his ailing friend. He had gone through a few piles before he paused, finding something he thought he’d thrown out. 

It was a piece of paper, crumpled and stained. There was writing on it, near and in blue ink. Bass would recognize it anywhere. It was from Mega Man himself. Specially his phone number. He didn’t even remember why he has this, much less why he didn’t burn it instantly. 

Maybe...maybe the blue dweeb would be able to help. The thought made him shudder. Asking that nerd for help. But...he was running out of options. Either watch his friend suffer, or ask his greatest rival for help. It took Bass five minutes to swallow his pride and just dial the number. 

Bass listened to the phone ringing on the other end. A selfish part of him hoped there would be no answer, or that the inbox was full, of that the number was out of service. But a few rings later, he heard a familiar dweeb’s voice on the other end. 

“Hello! Thank you for calling Light Labs! Can I help you with anything.” Bass hesitated for a few seconds.   
“Listen, it’s me you nerd.” There was a pause.   
“Bass? I never thought you would-“  
“Listen- just cut the crap ok? It’s...it’s your brother. He’s not doing great.” He heard a gasp.   
“B-blues? What’s wrong? It’s his core isn’t it-“  
“Yeah yeah it is. It’s...listen, Rock I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty bad.”  
“Oh god- I...Bass hold on-“ There was a pause, followed by shuffling on the other end. He could hear two voices, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Bass nervously tapped his fingers against the floor. Not only was his friend possibly dying, but his only solution was to talk to his greatest rival about it. He heard someone take the phone on the other end. There was a different voice this time.   
“Um, hey Bass, it’s me, Roll.”  
“Hey, yeah, that’s great. Now can you dweebs help him or are you just wasting my time?” There was a sigh.   
“What are his symptoms.”  
“Uh, glowing chest, high fever, and he keeps falling unconscious.”  
There was more chatter on the other end.   
“What’s his temperature?”  
“I don’t know, but it’s bad. Like he feels like he should have burst into flames.”  
“Um, Bass...can we see him?” Bass froze. He couldn’t just let his worst enemies into his base. Into his own room. And he really couldn’t let them know where he lived. There was no way. He glanced over at Blues. 

He was unresponsive at this point. His core pulsed violently, the glow as bright as the fluorescent light bulbs on the ceiling. He groaned in pain. Bass winced. This was beyond him. He inhaled sharply. 

“Ok, I’ll give you the coordinates. Just...promise me you can help him.” Another pause.   
“I promise,” came Roll’s voice, confident, undeterred. She would do everything in her power to save her brother. Bass told them where to find the fortress, and after making sure the address as right, Roll said she would be over soon with some supplies, and hung up the phone. 

Bass sighed as he put down the phone. He had just told his worst enemy where he lives. He glanced over at Blues. 

“You better pull through or I’ll fucking kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmm it’s been a while since I updated this dumpster fire. It’s p late but you know sometimes you just gotta write that good robot angst.

**Author's Note:**

> this is so gross can't believe i did that  
> also shout out to my Cool Friend simmering_sun cause she's the best and yelled ideas at me until this happened


End file.
